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72

Maspona y Labros, La Rondallayre. Quentos populars Catalans, colleccionats per. Barcelona, 1872. Part I, pp. 91-94. No. XX.

"LA VENTAFOCHS"
(The Fire-blower).

ABSTRACT

Ill-treated heroine (by step-mother and step-sisters)- --Hearth abode--Tasks (to pick canary seed, shell beans, pick rice)-- Task-performing old woman--Magic dresses (in almond, filbert, walnut)--Meeting-places (church, promenade, ball)--Threefold flight--Lost shoe--Shoe marriage test-- Happy marriage.

TABULATION

(1) A woman who has married a widower ill-treats his daughter, giving her dirtiest work to do, and keeping her always amongst the ashes, so that she is nicknamed Cinderella. She pets and pampers her own two ugly daughters, and dresses them richly. Cinderella, who is also called the Fire- blower, on account of her occupation, is very beautiful, patient, and good.-- (2) One day she has to pick a sack of canary-seed whilst stepmother and stepsisters are out. Unable to finish the task, she begins to cry, when a little old woman, very old and very little, suddenly appears, gives her an almond, and performs task for her.-- (3) Heroine breaks the almond, and, finding inside a dress of shining gold, dons it and goes to church, where she is admired by all, even the king's son. Before the service is finished she goes home and resumes her rags. Stepmother and stepsisters return, and tell her of the lovely girl in dress of shining gold whom she would have seen had she been to church. Heroine says:

"Maybe, no; and yes, maybe;
Maybe that fair maid was me!"

"Listen to Cinderella! Be off, and blow the fire!" and they drive her away to the ashes.-- (4) Next day she has a whole sack of beans to shell. She sets to work, but, failing at the task, is very downcast, when again little old woman appears, performs it for her, and gives her a filbert.-- (5) Heroine breaks it, and finds inside a silver dress, donning which she goes to the Promenade, where all admire her. When she leaves, king's son sends his pages everywhere in search of her. Stepmother and stepsisters return, and tell her of lovely girl at the Promenade heroine replies as before, and is driven off to the cinders.-- (6) Another day she has a sack of rice to pick while step mother and stepsisters go off to ball given by king's son. She cries; little old woman comes to perform task, and gives her a walnut, containing a robe of bells.-- (7) Clad in this heroine goes to ball, making all the ladies turn green with envy. King's son recognises her, dances with none other, and they are so engrossed that heroine does not notice that ball is over, and has to run home as fast as she can. Stepmother and stepsisters tease her as before, and she makes same remark.-- (8) In her haste to leave, heroine had dropped a glass slipper on the stair, and had not time to pick it up. Servants take it to king's son, who, suspecting its owner, proclaims that he will wed whomsoever it fits. It is tried on all the ladies, but it is too small for everyone; pages take it from house to house in vain. At last they come to Cinderella's house. The slipper is tried on stepsisters, but will not fit them.-- (9) Pages are leaving in despair, and think to inquire if there is another girl in the house. Stepmother admits that there is, but she never stirs from the cinders. Pages send for her, and slipper fits her so perfectly that they take her off to palace, where king's son recognises her and marries her.

Cox, Marian Roalfe. Cinderella: Three Hundred and Forty-five Variants of Cinderella, Catskin, and Cap O' Rushes, abstracted and tabulated. London: David Nutt for the Folklore Society, 1893.

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